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Sunday, December 28, 2014

I just realized I have been lax in my posting but sadly have had little to say. I'm all talked out. I'm stuffed to the gills with wonderful and some strange food. The litter from opening packages is cleared. The next to last guests have returned home.

There is some sense of order in my world again. I am comfortable with order.

I sit in my area crocheting, checking now and then on the injured daughter still here. Zander plays with Legos while his mother naps. Monday we return to the doctor. Some one comes here three times a week and does what ever they do with a wound vac.

Tuesday we drop Bonnie at the vet's for her shots, check up and spaying. Hubby has a doctor's appointment the same day. I'm hoping I don't get the places and patients mixed up.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

In Kindergarten at my grandson's school the principal gave peanut butter, oats and rice to the children for Christmas. T'is sad in a time of plenty for some, there are children in America who go to bed hungry.

If not for the Grace of God, there go I.
Make a difference this holiday.
Merry Christmas!

TerrapinTradingCompany is on Face Book and in down town Norfork, Arkansas, home of the Wolf House and where the Norfork River joins the White River. A beautiful town to visit with other shops but the only one I see is Terrapin Trading Company with Amanda and David Quinney and their wonderful dog!

I feel badly I didn't ask the dog what her name was. Amanda had her sit for the picture. I had to play ball and visit a little, no, a lot! Amanda and co-owner/husband are artists and make amazing silver jewelry. Displayed are local art pieces, natural products and clothing along with, you guessed it... ROCKS! Or should I say crystals, jewels, and stones, oh, my?!

I was as happy as a pig in a mud hole!!!! Every where I turned discovered new products and endless items to delight me.

There is a reading room where you can relax and read, play drums, or just have fun visiting. They do mail products, too so if you take a liking to something give them a call or contact them through FB.

I was successful in taking the dog's picture. I had to sneak around because this dog is all about playing ball. I tried to trick her but the dog was smarter than me.

Something for every one

and something for me.

Pure silver hand crafted rings with Amazonite and snow flake obsidian

using two different design styles.

A silver pendant using my amethysts, an orange calcite and David's amazing talent.

The photos do not do justice to the place nor the pieces.

So if you're ever traveling north of me stop in, visit, play ball and carry home a treasure. In addition to my jewelry I found a book and a drum I could not leave behind. I can guarantee you will leave with a smile and a warmer heart form meeting Mr and Mrs Quinney.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Last week I was cooking a few grill cheese sandwiches. A snack, some called it, but to me it was a meal.

Butter melting, sandwiches developing nice toasty sides. I hear a POP! and find myself in the floor with pan in hand and an electric burner flaming. With no ideal what happened I was on the floor over three feet away. The wall had stopped me. I got up. Turned the burner off. Finished the sandwiches on another burner while my muscles quivered strangely. I thought the pop had made me jump and I tripped. The more I thought, the less I believed my conclusion.

Asked Hubby for his input after every one ate their finely browned grill cheese sandwiches. Hubby's assessment was the burner had shorted for some reason (there was a hole in the element) arcing the electric current partially into my body by way of the skillet. I held the skillet by it's supposedly insulated handle. All I know is one minute I was standing, the next I was not. And it hurt! Took me an hour for the muscles to stop dancing and almost a week for my shoulder to heal.

At the Friday return visit to doc, they decided to readmit Maria to the hospital. They were not happy with the way things looked. We've been unable to see the wound since the first surgeries because they put a cast on each time. She had surgery Saturday and more today. The doctor has left the wound open with a wound vac. The problem in her chest has been resolved so she is in less pain.

Monday, December 15, 2014

is the ghost town of Lacrosse (Izard County) Arkansas. We drive past the old store building and the plaque honoring the college every morning reminding us of what once was.

The last building standing other than residences.

There is much history here, We have a past. Not of ignorance but of people striving to establish a community in which all could be proud and equal.

One such person was Henry Karr Shannon born in Lunenburg (where my father was born) and was very active in the surrounding communities. He graduated Melbourne High School, attended college and pharmaceutical school. After developing an allergy to pharmaceuticals his career direction changed. Mr. Shannon taught school, was involved in higher education while exploring Izard County's rich history. He later purchased the Melbourne Times newspaper with his own special column covering many subjects and opinions that gained the attention of the Arkansas Gazette. While in Little Rock he became a controversial figure in the Central High Desegregation Crisis of 1957. Mr Shannon published six books during his life time.

And you're wondering where this is leading?

Looked at my birth certificate a few years ago and discovered I was delivered by Karr Shannon! What? Delivered by a newspaper man? Did some research and Henry Karr's son became a medical doctor and served one year in Melbourne, 1954, the year I was born.

Friday, December 12, 2014

visits me on dreary days. I sat reading a few posts wondering what in the world I was going to talk about today. I visited a familiar blog with a kind story of strangers helping each other with no other purpose except that is the way it should be. It was a story of goodness, kindness and strangers working together toward a common goal.
I traveled back in time as winter days make me do. I remembered when Dad still lived and the valley was full of horses, tiny horses. I remembered the dreams. I revisited photos of dreams put away.

I remembered the time almost strangers held an entire herd while we came to retrieve them. Miniature horse ownership requires "child proofing". Pasture that held large stock does not necessarily hold small stock. They could walk under some places and just keep going.

We thought we had mini-proofed the place but sooo not so!!! Royce, my herd stallion, found the one place we did not think about. A water gate that held back full sized stock did not even slow this guy down. He had a mission of moving his herd and he kept on. Down the ditch to the water gate on the far side of the large pond he led. They followed. Traveling the ditch they reached highway 58 then proceeded down 58 to 69 highway to the town of Sage.

This happened before dawn on a Sunday morning or the ending would not be so great.

Six AM phone call woke us with a "Do you have miniature horses?" Yes, we do, several. "The neighbors and I have herded them into my yard from the highway. We're keeping them safe."

Several miles by highway and an hour later we arrive with a stock trailer. We lead Royce into the trailer. The herd followed as a true herd will. In goes Betty, Flo, Buford, Lucy, Fancy, Tracer and Fay with all the foals. Easy Peasy! Thanks to the kindness of neighbors and the grape vine our horses came home safely.

I believe I was born to be a horse owner, any size or kind, but things change as they always do and life goes on.

Dad's gone. The horses are gone. The valley never changes but the actions within are always different. Mother Nature tends to the beauty and we are in charge of the chaos.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

I remember saving the shavings when you sharpened a crayon. You could make a picture and iron it between two pieces of waxed paper. As the crayons melted it became even more magical. Crayons can also be used when making a tie dyed shirt, where the crayon is ironed on, no dye will be absorbed. I've noticed this year they have a machine called Melt N Mold. Why didn't I think of that? Just in case Santa brings me one, I have my broken pieces ready. If not, I will find a use for them.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

A challenge from Fireblossom Friday: Mash Up! "Take a well-known character or actual person, and put them in a situation that no one has ever thought of putting them in before..."
I believe Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs had the idea first. I just took it another direction.

Little Red Riding Hood: Exotic Dancer

Starring now
At Grandma's Place
Take a walk through the woods
Discover the surprises
Red Riding Hood holds
In Grandma's basket
Dancing with cape
And ax...
Certain to make
Any man howl!For the video that fits go here

Friday, December 5, 2014

was a new name for me. Lilly , a good blogger friend introduced me to this custom. Any thing pertaining to rocks is exciting to me. Inukshuk (singular) is a custom of leaving markers/messages by natives in several countries.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

As you may remember from my backwards updates the wonderful icing on my birthday cake was to learn my youngest daughter and her youngest son had been in a car accident. A serious one for her but no permanent injuries for her son. After four surgical procedures and a full week in the hospital they sent her "home" to us.

It does change your perspective. We've never thought of handicapped as a problem. We now know it will be because of the problems we've had in caring for Maria. We know for sure now Handicapped is not just a blue sign or a place we can't park...yet.

In my guest room I have a very high antique bed, had to make it lower so she could sit and then position herself. She sleeps with her head at the foot of the bed so Zander won't kick her leg during the night.

Three hops to the bathroom, six hops to the sitting room. She has a walker but must hop on her good foot. She can't use crutches due to her chest injury which they have not named yet. For her to reach things while in bed I had to take a shelf off my newly constructed "kitchen raft". The old radio I had used for a night stand did not meet her needs.

We prop her in a wing back chair with phone, computer, tv remotes and drinks in hand's reach. All her meals are eaten there since her ankle must be elevated most of the time propped on another chair in front of her with pillows, towels and ice packs and walker in reach.

It is a major deal to arrive at the shower. She "walks" to the lodge door which has one step down, she turns her back to us as we brace an office chair. She sits. We wheel her through the tv room to the kitchen threshold where this move is repeated. Roll through the dining room into the hall and hop into the bathroom. We finally emptied the bathroom and got the shower chair in there so she can shower. We just don't think in handicap terms!

Our house is upside down. Rugs rolled up every where because the walker will hang and the chair won't roll. My craft/guest room/sitting area is her abode. Shelves and decorative items for the bathroom have moved to the dining room.

That gently slopping yard to our lowest entry point even presented a problem but it was far better than the other entries which have three to seven steps.

I have a new found respect for the handicapped people in the world and especially for those people who live alone. There is no way Maria could have gone home alone.

I also know, for sure, things can change in a instant. I knew because of Hubby's health issues and my sister's health issues. I never really thought how quickly it can change. I am more grateful than I was. She had a job, a car, and in one instant, despite all she did, both was lost from the foolishness of another driver. We are blessed, it could have been worse.

Today she returned to the doctor after almost falling on her foot and screaming so loud I heard her from outside.

They removed the cast and the dressing. Let me just say a pretty turned ankle does not have black oozing green...and that is how it looks! The doctor asked if she took her antibiotics. The releasing doctor did not write a script. Fortunately her earlier mishap did not harm the bone, still pinned and screwed. The wound is open but the doctor today did not know if the doctor before had left it open or if the fall had opened it. Conclusion: None. Given antibiotics and sufficient pain pills. Come back Monday and the doctor who did the surgery will look at it and decide if skin grafts are necessary.

Please continue to hold her in your prayers. I'm losing faith in doctors!